2017 Picture & Video Contests

The contest submission period has closed. Finalists will be announced on September 11 at 12PM ET.

Each year, hundreds of Health Center Advocates submit their pictures and videos celebrating the amazing work their Health Center does! The NHCW Picture & Video Contest is an opportunity to use your creativity to garner some national attention for your Health Center. Start thinking today about the pictures (both photos and drawings) and video that best represent the work your Health Center does and how you will celebrate National Health Center Week 2017! Then, submit a picture and/or video to the NHCW Picture & Video Contest in August 2017 for a chance to win a NHCW 2018 sponsorship, a chance to be featured in the 2018 Health Centers Calendar, and other awesome prizes.

How to Participate – or “The Rules”

Submit up to 1 picture (photo or hand-drawn picture) and up to 1 video for participation in the NHCW Picture and Video Contest.

Submission of pictures and videos will begin at 12AM ET on Tuesday, August 1, 2017. All submissions must be received by 11:59PM ET on Thursday, August 31, 2017.

Begins

Ends

Submission of pictures and videos

Tuesday, August 1, 2017 at 12AM ET

Thursday, August 31, 2017 at 11:59PM ET

Finalists announced

Monday, September 11, 2017 at 12PM ET

Voting on finalists

Monday, September 11, 2017 at 12PM ET

Friday, September 15, 2017 at 11:59PM ET

Winners announced

Monday, September 18, 2017 at 10AM ET

What format should I use for my picture or video?

Pictures and videos must be submitted via the online form. Pictures must be in either .jpeg or .png format, and videos must be submitted via a link toDropBox,Google Drive,YouTube, orVimeo.

Please make sure your pictures and videos are submitted in their original size and resolution. Pictures and videos taken via smartphones are accepted.

Pictures must be in landscape orientation. Pictures received in orientations other than landscape will NOT be reviewed.

If a picture submission is a hand-drawn original piece of artwork it must be created on an 8 ½ x 11” piece of paper and the submission may be either a photo of the picture or a scanned image. If a hand-drawn picture is a contest winner, the original artwork may be required to be mailed in for inclusion in the calendar.

Simple photo collages are accepted but must use only 3 or fewer photos.

Text overlaying picture submissions must be limited to only your health center’s name.

Video submissions must be 3 minutes or shorter in length. Any submissions over 3:00 will NOT be reviewed.

What else do I need to participate?

You must collect release forms for individuals featured in your photos or videos and verify that you have done so on the submission form. If you do not collect the proper release form, your submission will not be reviewed. Release forms may be collected from all finalists – submissions that fail to provide release forms are subject to disqualification. Click here to learn more about whether you need a release form.

Who can participate?

Anyone registered as a health center advocate onwww.hcadvocacy.org is eligible to participate as long as that individual is not a currently or previously employed photographer, artist, videographer, or otherwise involved as a professional in the photography, art, video, or film industries. All ages are welcome and encouraged to enter the contest – individuals participating who are under the age of 13 must include a signed consent form from a parent or legal guardian to submit.

Grand prize winners from 2016 are not eligible to participate in the same contest in 2017. However, the Picture Contest Grand Prize Winner from 2016 may participate in the 2017 video contest, and the Video Contest Grand Prize Winner from 2016 may participate in the 2017 picture contest.

How are winners chosen?

No more than 1 picture and 1 video entry per individual may be submitted. If an individual submits more than 1 picture and video, the MOST RECENT will be the submission we review. Multiple individuals may submit entries on behalf of the same health center.

NACHC reserves the right to reject submissions for any reason including profanity, nudity, or other content it deems inappropriate.

NACHC will determine the contest finalists (25 picture finalists and 10 video finalists) from all submissions received. Finalists will be chosen based on adherence to the rules, creativity, and reflection of one of three major themes:

Illustrating the role of health center information technology in community health

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Contest winners will be chosen from the pool of finalists by popular vote. Everyone can vote (see rules below). In the event two or more pictures or videos receive an equal number of votes at the conclusion of the voting period, NACHC will make the final determination of contest winners at its discretion.

The Voting Process – or “How to Win”

The picture and video Grand Prize Winners as well as 11 picture runner-ups and 1 video runner-up will be chosen by popular vote. Here are the rules for voting:

You can vote for your favorite picture AND your favorite video.

You can vote for yourself.

You may not vote more than once.

You must vote by filling out the webform which will be made live on this page on September 11 or by liking the picture of your choice on theHCAdvocacy Facebook page or the video of your choice on the NACHC YouTube page.

Voting ends Friday September 15 at 11:59 PM eastern time, and the winners will be announced the following Monday.

Tips for Winning Pictures

2. Highlight the Advocacy your Health Center does.
Take a picture of a meeting with a Member of Congress, or of a patient signing up to become an Advocate. Be creative about showing how your Health Center spreads the word and takes action to support the Health Center Movement!

3. Action shots are great.Try to capture a picture or footage of patients, staff, board members, community partners, etc. in action. Take a picture of a patient receiving services at your Health Center, of the crowd lining up for your annual health fair, or of your Member of Congress shaking hands with your staff, for

4. Capture the best quality photo that your camera will allow.
Be sure to submit the largest file/highest resolution of the photo that you can to avoid a grainy or blurry quality to the picture. Higher resolution photos will be given priority in the process of choosing finalists.

5. Think about the environment where you are filming.
Try to place your subject in the set of your choosing. Don’t be afraid to ask them to move to a location that may be less busy or more interesting.

Tips for Winning Videos

2. Highlight the Advocacy your Health Center does.
Take a video incorporating an elected official roundtable discussion, or share the stories of your colleagues and patients who are passionate about the work your Health Center does Be creative about showing how your Health Center spreads the word and takes action to support the Health Center Movement!

3. Shorter is better.
While the maximum length for a video submission is 3 minutes, studies show that attention spans are shrinking; the average length of time a video will capture a person’s attention is 2:00, so we recommend keeping your video short and sweet!

4. Story is everything.
Take some time to pre-plan and think about what makes your Health Center special, unique and important to you and your community. You might want to include first-hand accounts from your patients, staff, Board, or elected officials about the value your Health Center brings to your community, for example.

5. In one-on-one interviews, use shots that capture your subjects from the shoulders up and make sure they’re one side of the frame instead of in the middle.

6. Make sure your subject(s) is/are well-lit.

Avoid overly bright/dim situations.

7. Sound is just important as the picture.
Make sure to your subject(s) speaks loudly and clearly. If possible, use a lapel microphone. Also avoid situations where there is a lot of background noise – try to take your subject to a quiet space for his/her interview.

8. Keep the image steady.
If possible, use a tripod to keep the camera still.

9. Be creative and have fun!

Think about using music, trying out different camera angles (such as using a rolling office chair for a cool action shot), or incorporating simple animation, titles, and/or credits.

FAQs

What if I want to submit a picture or video that someone else took?

That’s fine! We want you to encourage people to submit their pictures and videos, so if you need to submit it for them, that’s okay. Just make sure you get their permission, and make sure to give them credit (put their first and last name in the submission form).

How many pictures and videos can my Health Center submit?

Your Health Center can submit however many pictures or videos you’d like! However, each individual can only submit one picture and one video. So if you have a lot of staff who took pictures during a NHCW event, that’s fine. Encourage them to submit their pictures! Just make sure each person only submits one picture and one video.

What if my picture or video isn’t chosen as a finalist?

Not to worry! We still want to show-off the great work your Health Center does by featuring your pictures and videos. Therefore, we’ll include your submission on the Campaign for America’s Health Centers Facebook page as well as on the National Health Center Week website.

My picture or video includes only employees from my Health Center. Do I have to include a release form?

Maybe not. You just need to make sure you have something in your Health Center policy that allows you to take and share externally pictures of your employees.

What about if my picture or video was taken during a public health fair? Do I need a release form in that case?

If the faces of the people featured in the picture or video aren’t clearly visible (i.e., in a crowd), then no, you do not need a release form. If the individuals featured in the photo or video are elected officials and/or official speakers at your event, then you still don’t need a release form. However, if your picture or video features community members whose faces are clearly visible (and especially if those community members are children), then we do require a release form for the purposes of this contest.